World News
Archbishop urges Catholics to follow pope's 'road map' of faith renewal
Published: October 1, 2012
LOS ANGELES (CNS) -- In a wide-ranging address at the eighth annual Los Angeles Catholic Prayer Breakfast, Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Philadelphia spoke of the "debris of failure" that must be dealt with if the Catholic Church in America is to be truly renewed. The archbishop said the obvious problems include the clergy sex abuse crisis, a decline in priestly vocations, struggling Catholic schools and parishes, years of deficit spending and unrealistic financial management, and drastic demographic changes. "The fact remains that roughly 10 percent of Americans describe themselves as ex-Catholics," he reported. "If they all joined together in a new 'Church of the Formerly Catholic,' they'd be the second-largest denomination in the country. "That's our reality as disciples. That's the debris of failure we need to deal with if we want to repair God's house," he told the crowd of 1,550 at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels' Plaza. In his Sept. 18 address, Archbishop Chaput stressed that Pope Benedict XVI had given the church a "road map" of renewal in his Oct. 17, 2011, apostolic letter "Porta Fidei" ("The Door of Faith"). In it, the pope announced the upcoming Year of Faith, which begins Oct. 11, the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council, and ends Nov. 24, 2013, the solemnity of Christ the King. The special year will be highlighted with a worldwide program of worship, catechesis and evangelization. "Morally, we live in chaotic times," Archbishop Chaput said. "In such a climate, it's very easy for people to develop habits that undermine virtue, character and moral judgment. It's hard to reach a moral consensus when a culture can't agree on even the most basic standards of right and wrong. As a result, for individuals, today's conditions of daily life are often isolating and even frightening."
Copyright (c) Catholic News Service /U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service .
